Crowds at women’s football in England are the envy of the world but there is a curious gap between number of tickets sold and attendances
W
hen the stadium announcer reads out the attendance during England home games, the immediate question that follows relates to the drop-off between the number of tickets sold and the number of fans through the doors.
In 2025, on either side of a phenomenal European title defence in Switzerland, the Lionesses played eight home games, including three at Wembley. Across those fixtures, almost 48,000 bought tickets but stayed away.
There has been criticism of the empty seats, at Wembley in particular, especially after games announced as sell-outs. Why does this gap exist? Is the criticism fair? What does the Football Association need to do to start ensuring ticket holders turn up?
